Absence at mayor vote not a ‘snub’

MAYOR MICHAEL O’SHEA ‘SHOCKED’ FF PARTY COLLEAGUE CLLR NORMA MORIARTY MISSED ELECTION VOTE

FIANNA Fáil Councillor Norma Moriarty has denied that her absence during the vote to elect her party colleague Cllr Michael O’Shea as Mayor of Kerry last week was meant as a snub to the new mayor.

Cllr Moriarty was the only councillor absent during the vote to elect Kerry County Council’s new chairman at its AGM on Monday, June 27.

Though she had been in the council chamber for the morning’s proceedings she left shortly before the vote to elect the new Cathaoirleach.

The vote was won – by a margin of 25 votes to seven – by Cllr O’Shea. Subsequently a number of Fianna Fáil supporters contacted The Kerryman and expressed anger that Cllr Moriarty had missed the vote to elect Cllr O’Shea.

Cllr Moriarty said her absence was unavoidable and that it was in no way meant as a snub to Cllr O’Shea.

Cllr Moriarty said she had to leave the chamber to attend an important personal appointment, which had previously been rescheduled on three occasions.

Cllr Moriarty said she didn’t leave the chamber until she had checked that Cllr O’Shea had the cross-party support needed to guarantee his election.

She said there is ‘absolutely nothing’ to suggestions her absence was a deliberate snub.

“Michael will be a great Mayor and I wish him the very best,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mayor O’Shea said he was ‘shocked’ that Cllr Moriarty had left the chamber ahead of such an important vote. “The two most important days in the council are the budget estimates and the vote on the mayor. You do not miss them. In my many years on the council I have known members to leave their hospital beds to be at them,” he said.

Mayor O’Shea said he was ‘surprised and disappointed’ that Cllr Moriarty had missed the vote, the outcome of which, he said, was never certain.